1. Background and Relevant Art
Computer systems and related technology affect many aspects of society. Indeed, the computer system's ability to process information has transformed the way we live and work. Computer systems now commonly perform a host of tasks (e.g., word processing, scheduling, accounting, etc.) that prior to the advent of the computer system were performed manually. More recently, computer systems have been coupled to one another and to other electronic devices to form both wired and wireless computer networks over which the computer systems and other electronic devices can transfer electronic data. Accordingly, the performance of many computing tasks is distributed across a number of different computer systems and/or a number of different computing environments.
Users can gain or share insight on their data through visualizations like charts, graphs, maps and hierarchies. These visualizations have simple and commonly used mechanisms using object color (hues, saturation and transparency), text (font families and styles) and visibility to emphasize, denote selection and highlight insights for exploring and analyzing the underlying data. In some environments, due at least in part to their simplicity, these visualizations make it difficult for users to effectively gain/share insights about their data. In turn, it is also difficult to convey an appropriate emotional message and have a highly interactive user experience.